Do tumor volume, percent tumor volume predict biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy? A meta-analysis

The aim of this meta-analysis was to explore the effects of tumor volume (TV) and percent tumor volume (PTV) on biochemical recurrence (BCR) after radical prostatectomy (RP). An electronic search of Medline, Embase and CENTRAL was performed for relevant studies. Studies evaluated the effects of TV and/or PTV on BCR after RP and provided detailed results of multivariate analyses were included. Combined hazard ratios (HRs) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using random-effects or fixed-effects models. A total of 15 studies with 16 datasets were included in the meta-analysis. Our study showed that both TV (HR 1.04, 95% CI: 1.00-1.07; P=0.03) and PTV (HR 1.01, 95% CI: 1.00-1.02; P=0.02) were predictors of BCR after RP. The subgroup analyses revealed that TV predicted BCR in studies from Asia, PTV was significantly correlative with BCR in studies in which PTV was measured by computer planimetry, and both TV and PTV predicted BCR in studies with small sample sizes (<1000). In conclusion, our meta-analysis demonstrated that both TV and PTV were significantly associated with BCR after RP. Therefore, TV and PTV should be considered when assessing the risk of BCR in RP specimens.